BEREA, Ohio -- Browns coach Mike Pettine wants newly appointed starting quarterback Brian Hoyer to remember that Johnny Manziel is on his heels and trying to swipe his job.

"I don't want to make a permanent commitment to any starter,'' Pettine said. "I just don't think you can do that. I think you make more of a commitment to your quarterback because of the unique circumstances that surround that position.

"But I think you need all your guys on the roster running scared a little bit, that 'Hey listen, if I don't perform, this is a performance-based business, if I don't perform, I'm not going to be in there.''

Hoyer isn't fazed by the week-to-week audition. In fact, he's had to prove himself since the moment he went undrafted out of Michigan State in 2009.

"For me, my entire career's been looking over my shoulder,'' said Hoyer. "The pressure you put on yourself is far greater than anything (else), because when you're a rookie undrafted and you're trying to come in and make a team, there's no one to look over (at). You're just trying to get on the team and to me, I feel like I'll carry that chip with me forever.''

The chip grew when Hoyer, the North Olmsted native and St. Ignatius grad, was cut by three teams in nine months. The Patriots dumped him at the tail end of camp in 2012, when rosters were set. He caught on for a cup of coffee with the Steelers in November of that year, but landed back on the waiver wire after about three weeks.

The Cardinals claimed him in December of 2012 and he started their season finale, but they cut him loose the following May -- four days before the Browns signed him.

"Every day I come out here, I'm just trying not to get cut, and when you have that mentality, you push yourself to the limit,'' Hoyer said. "The pressure you put on yourself is far greater than any pressure the media or your teammates or the coaches can put on you. For me, for most of my career it was about keeping my career alive and doing anything it took to make a team. Now that I'm a starter, you have to take that mentality and enhance your play as a starter. It can only help you.''

By the same token, Pettine won't be putting in a package of plays for Manziel anytime soon.

"No, this is Brian's job,'' said Pettine. "I don't foresee us now, especially early, being in a two-quarterback system. This is Brian's job and I never think of it as a leash or we want a guy to be a game manager. ....I don't want our guys on offense to feel like there's any type of governor there and they can't just cut it loose and be aggressive. I think when you feel like you're going to be solid on defense, that allows you to be even more aggressive on offense."

Hoyer knows he'll have to improve in a hurry and that his offensive production during preseason games didn't win him the job. In seven series, he's put three field goals on the board, and two came against second-team defenses. He completed only 8-of-20 attempts (40 percent) for 108 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, and earned a 57.9 rating.

But he was knocking off rust after the ACL -- he only returned to 11-on-11s on July 26 -- and doesn't have his timing down with his receivers yet.

"Obviously we were all disappointed how things played out Monday night,'' said Hoyer. "Obviously it's always a work in progress. We were all disappointed and embarrassed in the way things came out Monday night. We watched the film, learned from those mistakes and moved forward."

Hoyer claimed that his accuracy hasn't been impacted by his injury. He overthrew two players inside the 20 in Detroit and threw behind players in Washington, including a wide-open Andrew Hawkins in the end zone.

"I think there's times where I come out in camp and I'm putting balls exactly where they need to be, so I don't really (attribute) that to anything other than just trying to work out the kinks and there's no excuse for it,'' he said. "We'll get some extra routes. We just have to do it at game speed. It will come. I truly believe that. As long as you're working at it, as much work as we have gotten together, we have to work more.''

Pettine explained that Hoyer threw to a spot for Hawkins and that the speedster was so fast coming out of his break that he over-ran it.

"Brian knows, lesson learned, that Hawk is a guy who's going to eat up some ground in a hurry,'' said Pettine. "The plus is that he's going to be open. The minus is that it's a tougher target to hit."

Pettine noted that Hoyer has only played about 25 snaps since his ACL surgery and that he'll get better with time.

"Statistically, I don't get wrapped up in the numbers there,'' he said. "He had some drops that you could factor in, some routes that were run at the wrong depth, at the wrong angle. It's easy to look at the numbers. When you look at the tape, it tells a very different picture."

Pettine acknowledged that a weight has been lifted off Hoyer since he was named the starter, the 12th opening-day quarterback in the 16 years since the team's rebirth in 1999. It's tough enough to come back from a torn ACL without a Manziel-nado ripping through town.

"(Hoyer) had a lot going on,'' said Pettine. "We'll see how things are for him now. I think maybe there's some sense of relief or some refound confidence. I just think he was dealing with a lot coming into camp where he was a hometown guy and was the starter, but he had a draft pick competing with him. Then, certainly we've already discussed it here, there's just coming off the injury. I think that's a lot on a young guy's plate."

Hoyer hadn't yet contemplated how big it was to overcome Manziel Mania and a torn ACL all in the same preseason.

"I never thought of it that way,'' Hoyer said. "I always felt that if I did the things I could do and I rehabbed, I always had the belief in myself that I could earn the starting quarterback job. I feel like I have, and it's good to know that my coaches and teammates believe in me. One day I might look back and appreciate this for what it is, but right now it's just time to work harder and go full steam ahead."

Even the great Tom Brady, from whom Hoyer learned everything he knows about being a pro for three seasons, praised Pettine's decision.

"I love Brian," Brady told the Boston Herald. "He's just such a great guy, person and friend. We've always kept in touch. I'm proud of him. He's fought through some tough circumstances over the years, being released here, going to Arizona, getting a little bit of an opportunity there, and then really taking advantage of his opportunity in Cleveland. It's great for him, and he's a great player, so I'm very happy for him."

Pettine called Hoyer into his office about three or four minutes before the morning team meeting on Wednesday to tell him the news. He talked to the two quarterbacks separately and complimented Hoyer on his poise and diligence. Hoyer never even had time to share the news before the meeting, and had 37 text messages by the time it was over.

"It was exciting,'' Hoyer said. "When Coach Pettine told me this morning, I'm sure I cracked a smile, but you realize all the work I've put in and now here is my shot to just go out and run with it. All you can ask for is an opportunity, and then to go out there and seize it and now that it's here, it's time to work harder. As much work as I've put in, I have to be even better and work harder."

He'll venture into the season knowing that he won all three of his starts last season, including pulling out his debut in Minnesota with a gamewinning touchdown drive.

"If anything, last year the biggest thing was I proved to myself that I could play in this league,'' he said. "You always think you can, and then to get out there and play and have success, it proves to yourself and I think it's paid dividends this year as far as my mental preparation and how I'm going into games where as last year I was pretty anxious and nervous. This year, knowing I've done it on the field against real NFL competition, not just preseason games, does give you a boost of confidence."

This year, he'll start out in Pittsburgh -- which means as much to this hometown boy as it does to the fans.

"Obviously it's very special for me,'' he said. "Did I believe this could happen after I got hurt? There was no doubt in my mind, but there were days when rehab sucked and I hated what I was doing, but I knew the feeling I had running out into that stadium or running off the field after we beat Cincinnati. It's all worth it.

"It's amazing how you appreciate the game when it's taken away from you. For me, this is why I put in all those hours of rehab. This is what you do it for. It's an exciting time."

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